HC Deb 16 November 1989 vol 160 cc458-9W
Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the total cost of keeping homeless people and families in hotel accommodation in Wales.

Mr. Grist

On the basis of the latest information available from local authority revenue outturn returns, gross current expenditure on bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless persons in 1987–88 was £280,000 of which £170,000 was met by local authorities and the remainder from local sources (mainly fees and charges).

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many homeless families there were in Wales in the last year; how many were housed in temporary accommodation; and how many were housed in bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

Mr. Grist

During the period 1 July 1988 and 30 June 1989 a total of 7,730 households were accepted as homeless by local authorities in Wales; 793 households were housed in temporary accommodation. At 30 June 1989, a total of 145 of these were in bed and breakfast accommodation.

Mr. Wigley

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many young people in Wales under the age of 25 are currently homeless; what proportion this is of the under-25 population; and if he will instigate a survey into the causes of homelessness among young people in Wales.

Mr. Grist

This information is not collected centrally. The Department's contacts with organisations concerned with homelessness do not suggest that the causes of homelessness amongst the under-25s are very different from those for the population as a whole.